how do find out the ridership on a train?

[mlanoue]

It's funny you say that, because I remember the one big train trip we took as a family growing up was on the San Francisco Zephyr back in 1981, and I had a blast as a kid running all over the train with my sister while my parents were in the lounge. I swear we were even running around the baggage car, but that may just be my imagination. Didn't get in any trouble, or really cause any trouble. I can still recall running past a conductor, a nice old guy who just smiled at us. Then we took the Southwest Limited back from LA and a lady working on that train right away sent us back to our seats and told my mom we were too young to be roaming around by ourselves. Knowing more about trains now, I'm guessing some of that was due to the different company cultures that had been passed down from the private railroads.

Maybe it was a coach/baggage Superliner car.

Yeah, I'm thinking that could be it. Back when i was 9 years old I would not have known any difference between a separate baggage car and a coach baggage.

 

[ehbowen]

I am a highly sociable person and would like to travel on Amtrak when there are loads of people having fun being sociable. That's why I won't travel in a sleeping car. I want to go the lounge car and meet people, play cards and other board games, drink and be merry (I hope this is possible in 2018 like it was back in the 1990's).

I just read this article today about a truck on the tracks hit by a long-distance Amtrak train that only had 59 passengers aboard! So few people, who probably were not sociable, would be a disappointment to me.

So is there a resource to find out how many people ride a specific train and when is the ridership the highest?

To be honest, I highly doubt that you'll end up on a train with "loads of people having fun being sociable". For the most part, people keep to themselves, and in my experience, virtually no one wants to sit down and play a board game until the end. Also, they almost never provide games on board, so you would likely have to bring them yourself. I also disagree with your logic that you wouldn't be able to be social in a sleeper. You can still go to the lounge car if you're in a sleeper, so the only real difference is that you won't have as many people near your seat, and in my experience, people try to keep quiet and keep to themselves in the coaches anyway. And remember that a crowded train means more noise, more smells (coach passengers don't have access to a shower), and a more packed lounge car, meaning it could be very hard to find a seat.
There's a difference between a train being crowded and the people on board wanting to socialize, have a few drinks, and play games. I would say that no matter what season or specific day, there will be a sufficient number of people onboard to socialize with, if they are willing to do so, but the fact is that most people don't want to have a few beers with complete strangers, and don't want to sit in the lounge car playing board games or card games. Also note that you're not allowed to consume alcohol in the coaches anyway.

But if you're really dead set on being on a packed train, which I really don't recommend, peak season is usually summertime for most of the western long distance routes. Could you remind us what train you plan on taking?

NOTE: This is all from my personal experience on crowded trains and socializing on Amtrak. I get that I might be in the minority on this one.

You are allowed to consume alcohol anywhere onboard. You may only consume alcohol you bring onboard with your sleeping accommodation (since it's not "public").

I had thought that you could only consume alcohol purchased onboard in the car your purchased it (so no drinking in the coaches, period). That's not the case?

If you purchase alcohol from Amtrak in the cafe or dining car you may take it with you anywhere in the train to consume it. It is only personal stock alcohol which is restricted to private sleeping car accommodations. In the public areas, Amtrak wants/needs to be able to cut you off if you get a bit too frisky.

 

[zephyr17]

I am a highly sociable person and would like to travel on Amtrak when there are loads of people having fun being sociable. That's why I won't travel in a sleeping car. I want to go the lounge car and meet people, play cards and other board games, drink and be merry (I hope this is possible in 2018 like it was back in the 1990's).

I just read this article today about a truck on the tracks hit by a long-distance Amtrak train that only had 59 passengers aboard! So few people, who probably were not sociable, would be a disappointment to me.

So is there a resource to find out how many people ride a specific train and when is the ridership the highest?

To be honest, I highly doubt that you'll end up on a train with "loads of people having fun being sociable". For the most part, people keep to themselves, and in my experience, virtually no one wants to sit down and play a board game until the end. Also, they almost never provide games on board, so you would likely have to bring them yourself. I also disagree with your logic that you wouldn't be able to be social in a sleeper. You can still go to the lounge car if you're in a sleeper, so the only real difference is that you won't have as many people near your seat, and in my experience, people try to keep quiet and keep to themselves in the coaches anyway. And remember that a crowded train means more noise, more smells (coach passengers don't have access to a shower), and a more packed lounge car, meaning it could be very hard to find a seat.
There's a difference between a train being crowded and the people on board wanting to socialize, have a few drinks, and play games. I would say that no matter what season or specific day, there will be a sufficient number of people onboard to socialize with, if they are willing to do so, but the fact is that most people don't want to have a few beers with complete strangers, and don't want to sit in the lounge car playing board games or card games. Also note that you're not allowed to consume alcohol in the coaches anyway.

But if you're really dead set on being on a packed train, which I really don't recommend, peak season is usually summertime for most of the western long distance routes. Could you remind us what train you plan on taking?

NOTE: This is all from my personal experience on crowded trains and socializing on Amtrak. I get that I might be in the minority on this one.

You are allowed to consume alcohol anywhere onboard. You may only consume alcohol you bring onboard with your sleeping accommodation (since it's not "public").

I had thought that you could only consume alcohol purchased onboard in the car your purchased it (so no drinking in the coaches, period). That's not the case?

No. you can consume beverages purchased in the lounge car anywhere in the train. The only restriction is that your own, personal, alcohol that was purchased elsewhere must be consumed in your private accommodation.

 

[cpotisch]

In that case, couldn't someone bring the same kind of booze sold in the cafe car, and then just claim they bought it onboard?

 

[ehbowen]

I would think that about the time that you chugged down your fourth miniature Johnny Walker Black and started to get feisty, the conductor might inquire of the cafe attendant as to how many you had had already. When he hears, "Oh, he didn't buy anything from me!", then things could get interesting. For the amused onlookers....

 

[zephyr17]

Well, it has been known for people to bring a drink back to their room, refresh it from private stock, then go back out.

No one I know does that, of course.

 

[ehbowen]

Of course, the private stock alcohol prohibition is not always strictly enforced. I took a trip to New Orleans with my parents in coach about 4 years back. A group of four college-age girls boarded along with us in Houston, carrying between them a full-sized ice chest...which was fully "stocked". The conductor just sighed and told them to take it down to the (otherwise unoccupied) lower level and keep it quiet. They partied all the way to New Orleans.

 

[zephyr17]

As long as you're not disturbing other people, or are too blatant, like hauling out your stash and pouring a drink right in front of a conductor, which they generally won't ignore (that's kind of a "contempt of cop" situation), it is generally live and let live. And mostly when they do catch it, they just issue a warning from what I've seen and heard about. You generally have to be obnoxious, dangerous or so wasted you can't care for yourself to get thrown off. Which is not that uncommon, BTW.

I personally only bring and consume my own alcohol when I have a sleeper.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Hiding your consumption is one thing but I agree that the real key to drinking covertly on Amtrak is knowing your limits. If you're the kind of person who can enjoy quietly without getting loud or pushy then you'll probably be fine so long as you're not stupid about it. If you're the kind of person who struggles to manage your intake or risks becoming aggressive or suffering an excessive lack motor skills you may run into some problems. Amtrak has no obligation or incentive to keep a disruptive passenger on board regardless of where you got your alcohol.